Across The Alley
Cigar City Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance - The beer was black in appearance, having a dark mocha colored head crowning the glass.

Smell - The nose was both chocolate and cinnamon with a definite boozy presence.

Taste - The first impression was boozy chocolate with a nice cinnamon burn. Actual coconut flakes were noted in some pours. There was a big coconut presence; vanilla was less represented. A light cinnamon burn was noted in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - The feel was slick with light carbonation.

Overall - I would have liked to have seen some of the adjuncts shine a little bit more. Otherwise, this was well done.

 

 

Got this one from desp a while back. Cheers!

From a 750 into a snifter
IBU: 62
SRM: 37
El Cat 9th Edition
Bottled 18 December 2018
Collaboration with 3 Sons Brewing
Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with chocolate, vanilla and coffee

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour is syrupy, yielding a one finger, medium looking, slightly foamy tan head with okay retention. Head recedes to a half wisp and ring rather quickly. Black body with no real carbonation evident. A slight ring ring remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Lots of bourbon barrel with oak, roasted coffee aromas, vanilla cream and milk chocolate, as well as some bold alcohol on the nose.

TASTE: Roasted coffee aromas with vanilla cream and milk chocolate sweetness, bourbon and oak, as well as a solid slap of booze at the swallow. Bold finish of bourbon, oak and wood flavors, vanilla cream and butterscotch sweetness, milk and pure chocolate, some roasted, bitter coffee and alcohol linger nicely on the palate.

PALATE: Medium body and slightly higher levels of carbonation. A bit prickly on the palate but creamy enough still, goes down fine with a decent burn and finishes sticky on the palate. Some solid heat lingers.

OVERALL: I will admit that the 14% is rather challenging here. The aroma and flavor profile are right up my alley, but its heavier alcoholic character, with a prickly feel and boozier finish, makes it somewhat overwhelming. If it were 11% or so, it’d be golden. That said, I love me a good bourbon BA coffee stout and this certainly has everything I need. It will certainly satisfy any CCB fan who likes it a little on the rougher side as well. Thanks again, desp!

Received in a trade and shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark brown almost black hue with a thin quarter inch mocha head that fades to leave light wisps and decent lacing.

S - Aromas of rich barrel notes, flashes of chocolate fudge and cookies, The vanilla is pleasant and softer, mixing nicely with the barrel elements. The coffee is somewhat muted though due to either age or the barrel itself.

T - Taste is much better than the nose. Big, creamy fudgy chocolate and brownies. Loads of vanilla and juicy bourbon as well as flashes of coffee. More well rounded mocha as opposed to a darker roast. Almost chocolate cookie dough batter with some subtle sweetness. Aclohol pokes in and out, finish is lightly bitter and warming without becomign aggressively boozy.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, creamy, alcohol hidden nicely with peasant barrel finish.

O - Overall this was a very enjoyable stout. Greatr adjunct notes with tons of fudgy chocolate and bourbon. Very pleasant barrel aspects going on without there being that much alcohol.

Serving Type: Bottle

Thanks to rudzud for sharing, likely 12/2018 but no date on it
Pours with basically no head, touch of foam and lacing, thick glass coating and fair legs, pitch black beer

Nose dark chocolate cocoa, some smooth vanilla both from earthy vanilla and toasted vanilla barrel, fudgey cocoa, a little light whiskey like characters, a little coffee but not a ton, some perfumey alcohol

Taste brings loads of vanilla, rich vanilla and candy, a bit of lactose like milk chocolate likely from the vanilla, mild roasted coffee, plenty of cocoa and dark chocolate, smooth fudgey cocoa, some bitter roast and slight spicy hop bitterness, light toasted oak barrel with very light whiskey slightly bourbon flavor, light alcohol flavor, that increases to a little tingle on the finish, heavy syrupy like malt, finishes with heavy alcohol and thick dark malts, sticky full

Mouth is fuller thicker bod, med foamy carb, fair warming tingly alcohol

Overall pretty nice, barrel was decent, dark chocolate cocoa etc was well done, vanilla was nice, coffee was decent, enjoyable beer despite being super big

 

Poured a black body with almost no head or lace ring. Chocolate fudge-like aroma that reminds me of a Keebler elf cookie. Thick, sticky, chocolate and hint of vanilla aroma with a chewy thickness and touch of roasted malt and coffee dryness. Hard to discern everything b/c the ABV is real high yet mostly hidden and the beer finishes only slightly dry as there is some sweetness in finish as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

750 at home with Lisa. Really good but a touch boozy, save the second bottle for 6 months or so.

750 mL bottle. Black, but not the usual CCB inky. Smells of strong chocolate, nutty malts, oak, bourbon. Tastes of mostly chocolate. Coffee behind it. And vanilla behind that. Boozy. Bourbon is an aftertaste, as is the oak. Kinda sweet, but it isn't a super sweet stout. It's all adjunct, but it works ok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basalt black with a short, burnt mocha head that dies to nothing yet is easily roused back up.

The exceptionally woody nose is splintery of bourbon and oak with creamy chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream.

Taste has a bit of heat to it up front, but the silky light body glides right into roasted cacao and mocha with a crackly carbonation finishing sticky, semi-dry and a stinging. Charred oak is prominent and the vanilla brings waffle cone before dark fruit comes out on the very warming exhale.

 

750ml bottle poured into a snifter. Across the Alley is a collaboration between Cigar City and 3 Sons for the 9th edition of Cigar City’s El Catador Club. This beer is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Bottling date of 12/18/18 etched on the neck of the bottle.

Big chocolate notes in the aroma are most notable at first whiff. Vanilla, oak, bourbon are secondary notes. As the beer warms, the bourbon notes come out more and more.

My first impression on the first sip is noting the thick and almost chewy mouthfeel. Unlike the aroma where the chocolate is the superstar, the coffee steals the show in the taste complimenting the dark malts to create a nice toasty character to cut out and balance the sweetness. The vanilla adds a nice added level of smoothness and then the warmth from the barrels lingers well into the finish.

Across the Alley is a fantastic beer from two great breweries. This bottle used for the rating is about four months old and relatively fresh but this beer has all the potential to be a great one to lay down for a few years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every time I get a box full of Cigar City, I want to hug my FedEx delivery man, but then I remember that pesky restraining order. He always moves fast, though. Split with my wifey.

The blacker than black & smells like classic CC roast with a stirred with a chocolate straw. Only a touch of bourbon, but plenty of wood.

Across the Alley. Chocolate, check, coffee, check, vanilla, check. Damn big hit of booze, 14+ check. The bourbon is subtle, but gets up into my sinuses & settles in for the duration. The chocolate is bittersweet, or it’s melding with the bite of the coffee, & either way, the blend is delicious. Vanilla adds depth, & the oak that’s so strong in the nose just brushes my boys on the finish. Supremely thick, & no problem at all to put down half a bomber.

I can’t recall if I have 1, 2, or 3 of these still coming. However many it is, it won’t be enough. Outstanding beer.